Business: Still Cheaper Travel

For the past 18 months transatlantic-steamship companies have been
ploughing through heavy financial seas with little ballast aboard.
Bookings have fallen off sharply despite all manner of inducements to
tourists. Last summer first-class rates were cut 10% to 30%. Last month
Cunard Steamship Co. resorted to instalment-plan ticket sales.
Ostensibly to consider further rate reductions, the North Atlantic
Passenger Conference met last week in Brussels. Before it had time to
consider anything, U. S. Lines (which is not a member of the
Conference) tossed a bomb into its midst.